LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- College football predictions are consistently made on what happened during the previous season.
The way a team finished. The number of players that return. The continuity of the coaching staff. The final standings and computer rankings.
But one element remains from the 2020 season that forms the challenge of forecasting 2021 football:
What effects did COVID-19 have on a team’s performance?
You can argue that every program dealt with the protocols, starts and stops to practice and the occasional shutdown of players. But not every team was affected in the same manner.
Yaya Diaby, Louisville’s formidable defensive end, will testify that. He gave U of L defensive coordinator Bryan Brown five solid performances from the edge of the defensive line until he was injured during the Notre Dame game Oct. 17. That forced him to miss the following game against Florida State.
Then, just when he was primed to return for a home game against Virginia Tech, Diaby was one of six U of L defensive players held out of that game because of COVID-19. Although he tested positive and was restricted because of contact tracing, Diaby said he suffered no symptoms — other than boredom.
He was restricted to his living quarters for 10 days, unable to leave for any reason.
“It was terrible,” Diaby said. “Just being in a room and not being able to work out or see my brothers that I go to work with every day — it was hard.
“Had to bring me food, and the food wasn’t that good. They had to bring it to you. They just wanted us to stay in the room.”
Diaby was asked if he binged on any television series to burn through the 240 hours in isolation. He did not.
“When I get bored, I work out,” Diaby said. “I got my dumb bells in the room. I was working out, keeping myself busy. When the guys came on (TV), I watched them play. I watched a lot of football.”
Diaby returned for the Cardinals’ final three games, contributing one tackle against Syracuse, four against Boston College and a pair against Wake Forest. He didn’t look as quick, powerful or relentless as Diaby has looked this fall, with early reports identifying him as one of the best players on the Cardinals’ improved defensive front.
Diaby is not shy. A player that lacks confidence would not publicly set a standard that he expects 10 sacks from himself this season. That is a solid jump after Diaby was credited with 2 1/2 tackles for loss last season.
But Yaya Diaby has always believed in Yaya Diaby even when the scouting report said he was not a major college prospect. In 2016, as a senior at North Clayton High School about 10 miles southwest of Atlanta, Diaby had no college football scholarships.
No offers from FBS programs?
“No, sir,” Diaby said.
No offers from FCS programs?
“No, sir,” Diaby said.
Recruiters live in Atlanta. If you can play in Atlanta, you will get your scholarship. What was the issue?
“I was undersized and didn’t get the looks that I wanted,” Diaby said.
Undersized is one word that described Diaby’s physique. Thin would be another. Take a look at the group picture that was posted with this story about Diaby’s high school team prior to his senior high school season. He looked like a guy that belonged at wide receiver.
Diaby barely carried 200 pounds on his 6-foot-4-inch frame. When Diaby takes the field against Ole Miss on Sept. 6 in Louisville’s season opener, he will be pushing 260 pounds.
He was a zero-star recruit who has turned himself into a five-star force for the Louisville defense, making his way to the Atlantic Coast Conference the old-fashioned way: by investing time at Georgia Military College, where he got smarter, stronger and tougher.
“It was always frustrating to me," Diaby said. "That’s why I’m always hungry to get better and I put in the work needed to get better."
“That motivates me. To me, those stars don’t matter. They don’t mean anything to me. You’ve got to show me that you’re a five-star for me to believe that you’re a five-star.”
Diaby has shown that he is not a zero-star performer. He’s fit and tired of hearing the things people have said about the way the Louisville football team performed during its 4-7 season in 2020.
“(The skepticism) is like something out there that we should put on the board everywhere in the locker room,” Diaby said.
“Because like I was saying: They don’t believe that this defense and the Louisville Cardinals are going to be that team this year. We’re going to surprise a lot of teams and a lot of people.”
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